Swiss police say they have detained several people and opened a criminal case a day after the first use of the “Sarco” capsule to end a person’s life. Assisted dying is legal in Switzerland in some circumstances.
Police in the northern Swiss canton of Schaffhausen said on Tuesday that several people had been detained, and a dead body taken for examination, following the apparent first use of a capsule designed to help people end their lives.
The “Sarco” capsule, made in the Netherlands and in development for several years now, is supposed to allow a person reclining inside to press a button, after which most of the oxygen in the sealed chamber is replaced with nitrogen.
According to the group that promotes its use, Exit International, this triggers first mild disorientation and euphoria, then unconsciousness, and in a few minutes death by asphyxiation.
Assisted dying is and should be heavily regulated.
I’m Swiss and there’s been heavy debated about “forced” suicide where for example someone who’se disabled and unable to work but wants to live is almost forced to kill themselves because disability benefits are too low to survive on.
This is a major problem is Canada for example.
I’d much prefer this to be well regulated than not at all. So I don’t think investigating a case, would be “screwing it up”.